Jeff Teague didn’t want to talk about his inclusion of the All-Star ballot Friday.
The Hawks point guard sure played like his name belonged with the NBA’s best hours later.
Teague had 23 of his career-high 33 in the second half as the Hawks defeated the 76ers 113-103 at Philips Arena. Teague’s previous best was 28 points set last season on Jan. 16 against the Nets.
The Hawks (5-4, 3-1 home) opened up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead as Teague scored 15 of the team’s first 23 points in the final quarter.
DeMarre Carroll had a season-high 21 points for the Hawks. Al Horford added 20 points and Kyle Korver had 13 points for the other double-digit scorers.
The Sixers (5-5, 1-2 road) were led by Evan Turner with 27 points.
Korver ran has a streak to 82 consecutive games with a 3-pointer, second-longest streak in NBA history. He is seven shy of tying the all-time mark of 89 owned by Dana Barros.
Korver passed Craig Ehlo for 10th on the Hawks’ all-time list for 3-pointers made.
“I don’t like missing shots so I try to make that first one and keep going,” Korver said before the game.
The Sixers took a 56-54 lead into halftime after they outscored the Hawks 39-29 in the second quarter.
The Hawks led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter. Horford scored eight of the Hawks’ first 15 points in taking the early lead as he started at power forward. However, the Sixers went on a 12-0 run midway through the second to take their first lead. Young and Wroten each had nine points for the Sixers in the second quarter as the team shot 70.8 percent (17 of 24) from the field.
The Hawks regained the 11-point lead in the third quarter led by Teague’s eight points. They used 15-4 run, punctuated by a Paul Millsap steal and pass for a Horford dunk. It was an 82-73 Hawks lead after three quarters.
Lou Williams returned to the Hawks after missing 10 months with a torn right ACL. He checked in for his first action with 4:23 remaining in the first quarter. He played 15 minutes and finished with seven points.
The Hawks got solid production from Gustavo Ayon. He started at center and played 16 minutes with six points and four rebounds.
The Hawks play at the Knicks Saturday.
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